Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Vicissitudeis an independent documentary that takes
the viewer on a journey with several people who have been innocent victims of
the drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Whether they were carjacked, had to
shut down a business, or had a relative killed, the feature-length movie pays
homage to the thousands of people who have lost their lives since 2008 by
portraying a more personal side to the story.

The purpose of
the documentary is to show what people never really got to see on the news, and
to give a voice to those who had to go through this experience of radical
change. It also shows a progress, which is slow but certain, and the hopes that the city and its people have to once again be free of war.

It is a project
close to my heart since I’ve personally been a victim in one way or another and
I lived in Ciudad Juarez for 16 years. The idea came to
mind a couple of months after starting film school back in the summer of 2010. I had to write a short
story for one of my classes and I thought, “Why not do something based on a
case from the situation in Juarez?”

As the months
passed by, I put the script aside but the thought of doing a story about the violence would bother me every night.
I knew I had to tell it some way.

In the summer of 2011, my best friend told me
while having a conversation that she would love to visit Juarez. We had a break
for Memorial Day coming up, so we planned a little trip to my hometown. An idea
struck me that same night. I realized this could be the perfect opportunity to
shoot a documentary. I had just taken two documentary classes, and the
instructor, who is an Emmy award winner, had been a true inspiration. After giving it careful thought, I
asked her if she wouldn’t mind to change our trip into a business trip. She was
all for it.

I did
pre-production for approximately two months. This process consisted of crewing
up, contacting potential interviewees, setting up a Kickstarter account to
raise funds for the project, getting a hold of equipment, and many other
things. I successfully raised a little over a thousand dollars, which I used to
pay part of the plane tickets of the three people who came with me plus some
other miscellaneous expenses.

We shot the
documentary during the four-day trip and it was nothing but a great learning
experience as an aspiring filmmaker and as a person. Our biggest challenges had to do with time, but we managed to get things done.

We came back
with about 150 hours of footage from interviews, and that’s not counting
B-Roll. The editing process was probably the most difficult but most rewarding.
Having to balance school, work, and extracurricular activities, made it
difficult for my first editor and me to get together. Luckily, I was blessed to
bump into Mauricio Martinez one day at school, the guy who ended up becoming my
editor and who is now a close friend. I happened to be wearing a soccer jersey
from Mexico and he asked me where I was from. We had a short conversation
before I needed to head back to class from break but we exchanged our contact
information. We then took it online. It was here when I realized he speaks
Spanish, is familiar with the subject, and one of his fortes is editing. As a
result, he ended up editing the project and receiving a producer credit due to
his contribution to the structure of the story and for recommending me an
amazing recording arts student to compose the soundtrack.

We finally
finished the lengthy process on November 21st, a day before
Thanksgiving. I am aware that this is only the beginning, since now I have to
figure out ways to get people to watch it, submit it to different film
festivals, and screen it wherever I can. My top priority right now is the Florida Film Festival, we have a deadline coming up soon.

This experience
has taught me managing skills more than anything, and it has broaden my
network. I hope something good will come out of this story and I can’t thank
enough the people who contributed to this project by either working on it,
investing, participating, or sending the good vibes.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Two
million people in the United States work in the film and television industry in
the United States. From make-up artists to costume designers, from writers to
directors, from editors to actors, you name it. It is an industry that
contributes more than $175 billion annually to the economy of the United
States.

It’s also an industry that is related to small jobs that
range from caterers, dry cleaners, or carpenters, making $37.4 billion in
payments to 278,000 businesses around the country.

When
talking about the motion picture and television industry, one tends to
automatically think about Hollywood, but truth is, it goes beyond that. Tax
incentives in states such as Louisiana, Georgia, or South Carolina have caused
a “state runaway,” taking productions to other states. This is bad for Los
Angeles. It has lost more than 16,000 jobsin the past eight years. However,
television production in the city of angels has increased thanks to cable stations
doing original programming and reality shows; 75% of “Angelinos” working in the
industry are involved in reality TV.

Also,
it is a highly competitive industry around the world, if not, the most
competitive. Countries such as Canada, India, and Nigeria have been growing
tremendously in the past years.

As
an aspiring filmmakers, it is an important question I ask myself everyday.
Since I want to become a producer, most people who work in the industry tell me
I should move to California because that’s where the production companies are. They
tell me I need to start off as a producer’s assistant. But if I were to do set
work, people say that Louisiana, Georgia, and New York are ideal places to
live. I’m considering work, salary, cost of living, region, and many other
things. It’s an exciting thing to think about, since I am expected to graduate
in nine months and plan to move right away. When I make the final decision, I
hope it’s the good one and that I followed my instinct.

“Why
do I do any of what I do?” Asks Abrams to himself as he humorously kicks off
his Ted Speech back in 2007. He says people are usually surprised at the
mystery of his projects, including the whole purpose of the island of Lost, which happens to be my all-time
favorite TV show. He credits his grandfather for inculcating imagination and
creativity in him.

As
the speech goes on, he pulls out a box with a big question mark on it. He bought
it decades ago at a magic store with his grandpa and hasn’t opened it; he wants to keep it as homage to him. “It represents infinite
possibility, it represents hope, it represents potential,” he says after
jokingly asking if he’s allowed to cry at Ted.

I like his description of mystery, and how it can lead to
imagination and infinite possibilities. This part of the speech makes me want
to start creating something, whether it is a song, coming up with an idea for a
short movie, or trying out a new workout exercise. It also takes me back to
Lost and thinking of all the mystery involved in the show; it finally starts to
make sense.

I
also find very interesting his talk about analyzing and thinking about the importance of
investment in character and the meaning of stories when it comes to films.
“E.T. is about divorce, a crooked family, and kid trying to find his way. Jaws is really about a guy who is sort of dealing with his place in the world, with his masculinity, with his family, how he's going to make it work in this new town..." His ability to dig to the root of stories is admirable and reminds one to think deeper when it comes to character and story development.

“The
creation of media is everywhere. I use to say in classes and lectures… Go
write, do your thing, you don’t need permission to write; but now I can say, go
make your movie. There’s nothing stopping you... No community is best served
when only the elite have control." As a fanatic of objects and machines, he encourages aspiring filmmakers like myself to get out there and shoot. Indeed, there is nothing stopping us from getting out there and doing something. This quote will stick with me for a long time because it's true. It's amazing to think where technology will keep going to in the next decade and so.

This man is a truly inspiring figure in the industry because of his hunger to ask questions, create, and yet leave something mysterious behind. Before this speech, I wasn’t that big of a fan of his, but now it makes me want to look at all of the work he has made and re-visit Lost. For six straight Christmases, this would be a gift from my mom. Each year we would sit down and watch that year's respective season with my cousins. Watching the last episode was a bit melancholic.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Start-Ups: SiliconValley premiered tonight on BravoTV. The reality show, which is executive
produced by Mark Zuckerberg’s sister, Randi Zuckerberg, follows a group of six
geeky, partiers in their late twenties as they try to make it big in Silicon
Valley, the most technologically advanced place in the world. Companies such as
Facebook and Google were founded here.

Susan Levison, an executive producer of reality television
once told me that the key ingredients to a successful reality show are strong characters
and conflict. Based on this first episode, this show has proven to have both
elements.

Even though all six characters have very similar goals and
work in the same industry realm, they are distinct and they all have different
characteristics that will either make them likeable or unlikeable. First, we are introduced to siblings Ben and Hermione who
are originally from the UK. They do business together and are trying to get an
investor for their new app named “Ignite.” We then have Sarah, a blogger who reminded
me of the “pretty mean girl of the club.” Her connections in Silicon Valley
have made her very successful, and one should not be fooled only by her looks.
Our fourth character is Kim, a tough-looking digital sales director who does
online advertising. She is not afraid to express what she feels to her
co-workers. Dwight is a determined software engineer who breathes, eats, and
sleeps his work, so it’s not rare to see him turn into a party animal every now
and then to release the stress. Last but not least, we have David, a software
engineer who happens to be gay. Being bullied when he was younger led him to
develop an app called “Gosponsors,” which helps you keep track of your goals.

The episode keeps you interested. After we’re introduced to
the characters, they all go to a Toga party at Ben and Hermione’s. It is here
that we learn that Hermione and Sarah have a past. Their differences are
causing tension not only between them two, but also between Ben, who happens to
be interested in Sarah. The next day, the British duo deliver their first pitch
to Dave McClure, a venture capitalist. They hope that he’ll invest on the
“Ignite” app, only to find out that he wasn’t interested and that they had to
face their first rejection.

I can’t wait to see what will happen with Ben and Hermione
as they keep pitching, because I’m
sure some arguments will come up between the two and some drama might ruin
their partnership. I’m also looking forward to seeing more of Kim and David. I
feel like they were not portrayed that much on this episode, but hopefully we
can learn more about them and their intentions.

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About Me

Ricardo Ramos resides in Los Angeles and works as a Story Producer in non-scripted television. He graduated with a bachelors of science in Film and a masters of science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University and is an active member of the Producers Guild of America.
Since relocating to La La Land in 2013, Ricardo's latest TV credits include “The Riveras” for NBC Universo, “MasterChef” season eight for FOX, "Holy Foley" for WWE, "Teenage Newlyweds" and "Married At First Sight: The First Year" for FYI, among others.
Besides working in TV, Ricardo has also created original content that includes a documentary titled “Vicissitude” about the drug-related violence in his hometown of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and an instructional video for a start-up app called LightsApp. In his time off, Ricardo runs at the Hollywood Bowl with November Project, plays tennis, volunteers with GLAAD, or is having an IPA at Arclight Theatre.